


Tiny Charm

by SeekingIdlewild



Series: Tiny Colonel Chronicles [4]
Category: Stargate Universe
Genre: Ficlet, M/M, Pre-Slash, Shrinking, smol!Young
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-09-06
Updated: 2015-09-06
Packaged: 2018-04-19 09:19:50
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4741082
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SeekingIdlewild/pseuds/SeekingIdlewild
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>Really, this whole situation was getting confusing and complicated, and he never should have volunteered to take care of Young, because this felt dangerous. He had no idea how to interpret what he was feeling right now. It was more than fondness, more than respect, more even than attraction - and yes, he'd noticed how well nudity suited Young yesterday, however inappropriate that thought had been under the circumstances.</i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	Tiny Charm

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Fragged](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Fragged/gifts).



Rush pushed a few steamed vegetables around on his plate and stole a glance at Young. The little colonel was currently seated cross-legged on the tabletop in front of a spoon which served as an oversized plate. Next to the spoon was a simple black pen cap that had been cleaned and cut in half to create a tiny cup. Having no utensils, Young ate small slivers of vegetables and individual pieces of a rice-like grain with his hands. He seemed quite content, unselfconsciously enjoying his meal.

Rush supposed it helped that Young wasn't the only person stuck in this condition - Dr. Inman, also miniaturized, was at a nearby table with Camile - but even so, Young's fortitude and calm throughout this situation boggled Rush's mind. He knew that _he_ would never have been so relaxed in Young's position. He would have been furious, scared, impatient, bored, captious, but never quiet, never composed. There had been a time when Rush would have just assumed that Young's calm was evidence of his lack of imagination, but now? Now he recognized the truth - that Young knew how to endure. While he sometimes faltered in moments of extreme pressure - moments in which Rush excelled - Young was at his best in situations requiring patience. And so he could sit here placidly chewing on veggies while Rush picked at his own food and worried on Young's behalf.

Of course, less than thirty minutes ago, Young hadn't looked quite so serene. Rush recalled the sight of Young twisting and groaning in his sleep, and the sensation of those tiny arms gripping his finger with surprising strength. The swell of affection and protectiveness Rush had felt in that moment had almost frightened him. Really, this whole situation was getting confusing and complicated, and he _never_ should have volunteered to take care of Young, because this felt dangerous. He had no idea how to interpret what he was feeling right now. It was more than fondness, more than respect, more even than attraction - and yes, he'd noticed how well nudity suited Young yesterday, however inappropriate that thought had been under the circumstances. No, what Rush felt most of all was a deep sense of longing, because Young had placed his trust in him, completely and utterly, and a part of him wished it could always be like this between them.

"You're awfully quiet," Young remarked suddenly.

Rush felt himself flush and cursed inwardly. Was he being obvious? Was he staring at Young too much? He'd been working so hard to act normal, but something must have given him away. "I'm not typically chatty when I'm eating," he said defensively.

"True, but near as I can tell, you're not actually eating anything," Young said, staring pointedly at Rush's full plate.

Rush looked down at the vegetables that he'd been torturing for the last fifteen minutes and had to concede Young's point. Rush's silence might not be unusual, but the fact that he was wasting time over a meal that he didn't intend to eat certainly was. "No appetite," he admitted.

"What's bothering you?"

Rush huffed out a small, dry laugh. "You have to ask?"

Young's brows drew together in confusion. It was… damn it, it was unbearably cute. "You're worrying about my problem?" he asked.

"Well," Rush said, not sure what to do about that faintly hopeful note in Young's voice, "It's everyone's problem, isn't it? The crew needs its commander, not to mention the other members of your away team."

"Right. That's true." Young's expression smoothed out into something that was difficult to read, especially considering that his small size rendered subtle nuances much less apparent. Still, Rush suspected that he was slightly disappointed.

Impulsively, Rush slid his hand across the table and brushed his fingertips along the curve of Young's spine up to the nape of his neck. He wasn't sure why he did it. Perhaps to provide reassurance, or just because he wanted to touch that diminutive figure again and feel the subtle flare of body heat under his fingers. Maybe _Rush_ was the one who needed reassurance.

Young blinked up at him, his lips parting in a look of mild surprise. Then his mouth curved into a small, contented smile. "TJ will find something in the database," he said confidently, "or perhaps this will just wear off on its own. For now it's inconvenient, but it's not the worst thing I can imagine."

True. They had all learned to imagine some pretty terrible things in the past few years, hadn't they? Still… "I've been searching the database all morning without success, and I assume we would have heard from the lieutenant if she had found anything useful. I suspect shrinking wasn't in the Ancients' repertoire."

"Wait," Young said, that tiny dent appearing between his brows once more, " _that's_ what you've been working on all morning?"

Rush shifted uncomfortably and withdrew his hand. Retrieving his fork, he stabbed it into a small yellow vegetable on his plate. Really, Young didn't have to sound so shocked about it. "Of course. I did tell Lieutenant Johansen I would create the search algorithm, didn't I?"

"That wouldn't have taken you all morning," Young said. "I thought you were working on increasing the efficiency of the life support system. You've been muttering about that for a week now."

"I told Eli to work on that."

Young's brows rose. "So…" He rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "What you're saying is that you delegated your pet project to Eli so you could fix me instead?"

Embarrassed and slightly annoyed, Rush shoved the yellow vegetable into his mouth so that he wouldn't have to answer right away. Really, Young was ridiculous. Could he not see the obvious advantages of restoring five incapacitated crewmembers to their previous levels of self-sufficiency and productivity? It made perfect sense that Rush had shifted his priorities. The fact that the life support system was soaking up a bit more power than it was entitled to was a minor problem by comparison. Eli was perfectly qualified to find a solution to it, leaving Rush free to concentrate on Young… and the other four victims, of course. That was all there was to it.

"Sorry," Young said, although he didn't _sound_ particularly sorry. "Didn't mean to make things awkward."

Rush jabbed his fork at another vegetable. God, Young was a pest. Why had Rush ever thought it was a good idea to take charge of him? "Why would it be awkward? Trust me, my motives are extremely practical."

Young huffed out a laugh. "If that's true," he said so softly that his voice barely carried to Rush's ears, "why do you keep staring at me? Why did you just _stroke_ me?"

Rush's cheeks went hot and he swallowed hard before sputtering, "I haven't been… That wasn't a _stroke_!"

"That was a stroke."

"No it--" Rush began, but he cut himself off in frustration. Damn it. Why was his heart pounding? And why did Young's vaguely ironic smile make him feel so flustered? "If our positions were reversed," he said without thinking, "you'd be tempted to touch me too."

Now it was Young's turn to blush. Color washed over his face and ears and down his neck in a way that Rush found strangely fascinating. Young cleared his throat and looked around hastily, probably trying to ascertain if anyone else had heard Rush's ill-considered words. Then he muttered, "Fair enough."

Oh. Well… fuck.

After that, the rest of the meal passed in tense silence. Rush was feeling rather dizzy. He couldn't seem to keep his mind from dwelling on the idea of being touched by Young, no matter how hard he tried. Why couldn't he have kept his mouth shut? And why had Young admitted to wanting to touch Rush? He could have so easily denied it and ended the conversation before things got weird.

For his part, Young looked like he had been given something new to think about. He toyed with the remainder of his lunch rather than eating it, and his expression was distant. It was only later, as Rush was transporting him back to the bridge, that he spoke again.

"So, uh… that really _was_ awkward, wasn't it?" he said sheepishly.

Rush snorted, but he was secretly relieved to have the tension broken. "We'll pretend it didn't happen," he suggested. "We're good at that."

"Mmm," was Young's con-committal answer.

Yeah, Rush wasn't convinced either.


End file.
